Shotgun shell reloading tool



Oct. 7, 1958 A. A. CRAFT SHOTGUN SHELL RELOADING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 2'7, 1954 All/s00 A. Gra fl INVENTOR.

, 9 BY an Oct. 7, 1958 A. A. CRAFT SHOTGUN SHELL RELOADING TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 27, 1954 Allison A. Graft INVENTOR.

WWW 9m 7 1 2,854,881 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 SHOTGUN SHELL RELOADING TOOL Allison A. Craft, Bend, Oreg.

Application December 27, 1954, Serial No. 477,876

1 Claim. (Cl. 86-39) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for reloading shotgun shells and including interchangeable tools for resizing, capping, decapping, loading and crimping the loaded shell.

An important object of the invention is to provide a shotgun shell reloading kit for home use and including a supporting base on which the several operations involved are detachably mounted.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the crimping head;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the resizer and loading tube;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the base;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the rammer;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the loading funnel;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the primer and resizer knock-out plug;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the resizer and loading tube showing an empty shotgun shell in resizing position therein;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view showing the knock out plug in position for removing the primer;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view showing the empty shell supported in position on the base and with the rammer inserted therein for installing the primer;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the loading funnel in position;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the crimping head in initial crimping position;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the final crimping operation; and

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the reloaded shell.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates a base member which includes a flat plate 6 of metal or other suitable material and preferably of square shape and having a cylindrical member 7 rising therefrom and adjacent one corner of the plate. The cylindrical member is formed with an internalshoulder 8 and an opening 9 is formed in the plate at the center of the cylindrical member and of a diameter substantially less than that of the cylindrical member.

A combination resizer and reloading tube 10 is removably inserted in the cylindrical member 7 to rest on the shoulder S and the tube 10 is also formed with an internal shoulder 11 adjacent the upper portionof the latter.

In reloading a shotgun shell it is important first to resize the shell and this is accomplished by removing the tube 10 from the cylindrical member 7 and inserting the empty shell 12 upwardly through the lower end of the tube in the manner illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings. The empty shell is driven upwardly into the tube and which contacts the brass head 13 of the shell to a proper diameter and to restore the same to a proper size where the chamber of the shotgun will accommodate the shell. The tube 10, with the resized shell therein, is then placed in the cylindrical member 7 of the base and a primer knock-out plug or rod 14 having a tapered lower portion 15 and reduced knock-out pin 16 at its lower end is then inserted in the upper end of tube 10 to enter the upper end of the shell 12 and by striking the upper end of the knock-out plug 14 with a hammer blow the primer 17 of the shell is then driven outwardly of the lower end of the shell and through the opening 9 in the base. This operation also forces the lower end of the shell outwardly at the lower end of the tube 10, in the manner as illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings.

The tube 10 is then removed from the cylindrical mem ber 7 and the shell 12 removed from the tube and a new primer 18 is then started in the base of the shell by the fingers and the base of the shell with the primer started therein is then placed on the base plate 6 in the position shown in Figure 9 of the drawings and a rammer designated at 19 is inserted in the upper end of the shell 12 and a downward pressure subjected thereto will force the new primer upwardly into the base of the shell. The lower portion of the rammer 19 is formed with a vent passage 20 which is, open at the lower end of the rammer and the upper end of the rammer is formed with a knob or handle 2 The next step in the reloading operation is to remove the rammer 19, and again place the'empty shell 12in the lower endof tube 10 and after which the tube is replaced in the cylindrical member 7 of the base.

A tubular funnel 22 is formed in its lower portion with a plurality of vertical slits 23 to contract and taper the lower end of the funnel and the upper end of the funnel is formed with an outwardly projecting annular flange 24. The tapered lower end of the funnel is inserted in the upper end of the shell 12 and the flange 24 rests on the upper end of the tube 10, in the position shown in Figure 10 of the drawings. The empty shell may then be loaded with powder and shot designated at 25 separated by the usual wads (not shown). The placing of the funnel 22 in the upper end of the shell is facilitated by inserting the rammer 19 in the funnel and sliding the funnel upwardly above the lower end of the rammer and then entering the rammer into the upper end of the shell as a guide for the funnel. The rammer is then removed from the funnel while the latter is retained in the shell.

After the shot has been loaded in the shell the funnel 22 is removed and a crimper designated generally at 26 and including a cylindrical body 27 at its lower end is then inserted in the upper end of the tube 10.

The lower end of the body 27 of the crimper is formed with a cylindrical chamber 28 and the lower end of the body is internally beveled as shown at 29. A plunger 30 is slidable in the chamber 28 and is provided with a rod 31 extending upwardly from the plunger and slidable in a bore 32 in the upper portion of the body 27. A handle 33 is secured to the upper end of the rod 31. A pin 34 extends downwardly at the underside of handle 33 parallel to the rod 31 and is adapted to enter an eccentric bore 35 in the body 27.

In operating the crimper the handle 33 and rod 31 are retracted and turned about the axis of the rod to move the pin 34 out of alignment with the bore 35 so that the pin will rest on top of the body 27 and hold the plunger 30 in its raised position in the chamber 28, as shown in Figure. 11 of the drawings. By forcingthe body 27- downwardly in the upper end of tube the beveled lower, end, 29 0t thebody will engagethe; upper end of the; shell 12. tocompress the latter into-a substantially cone-shape as shown at 36. The hand1e'33is then turned toxaligntthepin 34. with the. bore. 35. so that the pin will enter thebore. and by pressing the handle 33 downwardly the. plunger. 301wi1l engage the cone-shaped upper end 36 of the. shellandforcexthe same downwardly to produce the crimp 372 in the shell, as shown in Figure 12 of the.

A. shotgun. shell. crimping device comprisinga vertical.

tubular, member adapted to. receive an empty shell inserted. in its lower end, a crimping assembly slidably received inthe upper end ofsaid tubular. member for. performing sequentialcrimping operations in anuassociated shell, said assembly including a crimper having a working fit in therupper end of said tubular member and provided with. a vertical bore, of uniform diameter and anenlarged counterbore. opening. upon the: lower end thereoflsaid counterbore having a beveled lower edge presenting a flared mouth for performingani initial crimping action.

as the crimper is urged downwardly in said tubular memher, said assembly, also including a plunger having an enlarged head. received within said counterbore and being of a height less than the vertical height of the. counterbore whereby the head is movable between an operative position partially projected from the lower end of said crimper and an inoperative position in the upper portion of said counterbore, said plunger also including an upwardly projecting stern extending through said vertical bore in the crimper and provided with an enlarged hand knob spaced above the upper end of said crirnper, said crimper having an upwardly opening recess therein parallel to said verticalbore, a depending pin carried by said hand knob disposed in spaced parallelism to said plunger stem and receivable in said upwardly opening recess in the crimper, said plunger being; rotatable with respect to said crimper to selectively register said pin with said recess, and said pin being of a length so that when the same is out of register with said recess and engaged against the upper end of the crimper, the plunger head is in its inoperative position such that downward pressure on the hand knob, willforce. said crimper downwardly to effect the initial'crimping action whereafter the hand knob may be rotated to register the pin with, said recess such that further downward pressure on theha ndknob will move the plunger head to its, operative position to effect a secondaryand final crimping action.

References'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 332,904 Hill Dec; 22, 1885 339,396 Fisher Apr. 6,1886 340,057 Nye Apr. 13, 1886 366,338 Migeon .a July 12, 1887 413,435 Clifford Oct. 22, 1889 434,339 Hussey Aug. 12, 1890 774,827 Butler -t Nov; 15, 1904 1,166,636 Russell. Jan. 4, 1916 2,321,321 Rosson June 8, 1943 2,749,791 Miller June 12, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 585,013 France Dec. 1, 1924 542,969 Great Britain Feb. 4, 1942 1,012,256 France Apr. 9, 1952 

